Electrically-conductive railway-rail joint or connection.



' B. G. BRAINE.

ELEGTRIUALLY UONDUGTIVE RAILWAY RAIL JOINT OR CONNECTION.

APPLIGATIOII' FILED 90m. 25, 1907.

898A3 Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

L11"; V1 i 16 WITNESSES INVENTOR ZZQW my .25

TTORNEY To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BANCROET G. BRAINE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Electrically-Oonductive Railway- Rail Joints or Connections and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a rail joint, and particularly one of the continuous style, and is designed to provide a joint with connecting plates, or rail joint plates, each one of which contacts with the under side of the heads of the rails and also with the base flanges of the rails, and the connection between the connecting plates and the rails is made by welding, causing a molecular union at one of the contacting points, and providing an adjustable contact at the other contacting point. That is, the base flanges may be electrically or otherwise welded to the connecting plates, and the contact with the heads adjusted and taken up by the usual bolts and nuts, or vice versa. The welding can be carried along the entire length of the plates at the desired point, or it can be done by means of horizontal welds at the center and ends of the plates, or the ends of the plates alone, so long as the welded portions are horizontally spaced.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a section of a rail joint at a point of welding, and Fig. 2 is a side view of the improved rail oint.

I illustrate, in the drawing, a rail which may be of any contour and which has the .iorizontal head portion 11 and the base flanges 12. On each side of the abutting ads are the rail jointplates or connecting dates 13, as they will be hereinafter called, ;hc plates having the portions 14 contacting vith the under sides of the head of the rail, as Ll? 15. The connecting plates are also pro- Iided with foot flanges 16 and the base porions 17. The foot flanges 12 of the rail, the use flanges 16 of the plates and the base porrn srarns BANOROFT G. BRAINELOF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW Specification of Letters Patent.

RAIL JOINT COMPANY, OF YORK.

ELECTRICALLY-CONDUGTIVE RAILWAY-RAIL JOINT 0' ON N E CTION.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

Application filed October 25, 1907. Serial No. 899,225.

ductor in a svstem for signaling, propulsion,

form is to weld the top or bottom ends of the plates to the rail, and also to weld the top or bottom abutting ends of the rails to the connecting plates. The particular disp0sition of these Welded portions is to make a stronger joint, because it is well known that where a horizontally placed truss or beam is subjected to a vertical or bending load, the extreme tension or compression strains come on the top and bottom, the top being under a compression, and the bottom under a tension, there being practically no bending strain in the horizontal center. In welded joints as heretofore made, the vertical center of the rails and the connecting plates have been welded where they have a chance to take up very little of the bending load, but in my constriwtion as herein illustrated and described, the welded points are placed far from the vertical center so that the portions of the joints that are under the greatest strain are thoroughly strengthened.

I provide bolts 19 and the usual nuts 20 to clamp the connecting plates to the rails to adjust and to take up the contact at 15, be tween the plates and the rail. When rails are manufactured, the rolls wear away, and this is also true of the rolls that are used for rolling the connecting plates for the rail joint. It will be seen from this that a slight variation is apt to occur, because the rails and the plates may differ slightly as to their dimensions, and to take in all these inequalities the bolts and nuts are used.

The welded joints, in this construction, are superior to the contact by metallic plates, where rust and dirt Will afi'ect the electrical conductivity of the "oints, and combined with the fastening bolts, make a very solid structure and a s-tifl smooth joint which can be set up even if the rails and the connecting plates are of a slightly different dimension than is eXpected.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. A rail joint consisting of the abutting fian ee, connecting tions of the plates two reiis having seeds and hose ietcs contracting with heeiis end the base enges, borizonteiiy dis-- posed. and horizontally spaced welded per tions connecting some of the contacting por witi'i the rails, and means for. mecheniceiiy adjusting encie of the other contesting portions.

heads and base justing the pressure on the oti'ier contacting portions.

3. A reii joint consisting ends of two reiis having flenoes, comiccting pietes oi the abutting heads and base eontactm wltb hear 5 and the base flanges, horizonteily disposed cunt horizontally spaced welded pertions connecting some oi the'contscting per-- tions of the pistes with the ieiis, and bolts passin through the reiis and the plates with nuts t ereon for adjusting the pressure on the other contacting portions.

4. A rail joint consisting of the abutting ends of two rails having needs and base fie es, connecting plates conteo'tin with hem s end tbe-basefionges, horizontefl disposedend. horizontal spaced welde portions 'oining the base anges to the connect- 3) sites bolts passing through the m and t c plates for adjusting the contact between the pietes end the heads of the rails. 5. A reii 'goint consisting of the abutting ends of two reiis having heads and base flnn es, connecting plates contacting with the see fiaiwes and having clesping portions to embrace tile boss flanges, horizontally disposed welded cortices connecting theyends of the reii cissping portions of the plates with ees ite the pressure on t to abutting {Jl at the connecting plates.

6., A rail joint consisting ends of two rails" having flanges, connecting bites contacting with the base flanges one having ciesping por tions to embrace the base flanges, horizom tally disposed welded portions connecting of the abutting ;the ends of the reii. creeping portions of theietes with tne base flanges,

and bolts passmg through the mile and tbepiates with nuts for edjusting pressure on the contact between the pietee and the heads of the rails. e

7. A rail joint consisting of the abutting encis of two mils having beads and base flanges, connecting the base fienges on having claspmg portions to embrace the base flanges, horizontally disposed. welded portions connecting the ends of the rail clesging portions of the plates with the base flanges, horizonteiiy disposed eided portions connectin the ends of the base flanges taritii the relii c asping portions of the notes, and boits passing through the rails the ciotes with nuts for ad'usting the ressure between the plates on the heads 0' ti seiis. 1

8. A rail joint consisting of the abutting ends of two miis having beads and base flan es, connecting pistes contectin with the eeds of the mils end the base ieuges, portions of the connecting plates and the rails being Weicied together, and means essing through the rails and the plates to a just the pressure on the other contacting portions.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my hand th s 17th day of October 190?.

'nenoeo e'r e. BRAINE.

Witnesses Fa fiosmsnennonu, 381cm. Woweowes.

breeds base tiietes contectnig with r, 

